Dual compartment liquid holding and dispensing container



May 22, 1951 H. KESKITALO DUAL COMPARTMENT LIQUID HOLDING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed Oct. 21, 1946 INVENTOR. i761? /@5 4 25/0 Patented May 22, 1951 OFFICE DUAL COMPALBTMENT LIQUID HOLDING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER Helen Keskitalo, Republic, Mich.

Application October 21, 1946, Serial No. 704,593

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-187) This invention relates to liquid holding and dispensing devices and has to do more especially with a dual-compartment container wherein one compartment serves as a reservoir for a relatively large supply of liquid and wherein means are provided for automatically feeding the liquid, as needed, to the other rcompartment which latter is readily accessible and is designed to receive an applicator and preferably also to store the applicator when the latter is not in use.

The subject matter of my invention is useful with any liquid where the same is to be applied by means of a dip-type applicator, and especially where it is desired to avoid dipping the applicator deeply into the liquid. And it is equally useful where the liquid is to be applied by ones fingers and it is desired to avoid immersing the fingers deeply into the liquid or to avoid having to reach deeply into a container when the content thereof reaches a low level.

One of the more specific objects of my invention is to provide a device which is particularly well adapted for holding and dispensing hair lacquer and is also adapted to hold an applicator by means of which the lacquer can be applied very abstemiously.

My invention is characterized in that there is mounted in the top of a principal liquid container having a main reservoir, 9. second or auxiliary reservoir, preferably in the form of a cuplike receptacle, overlying the liquid in the main reservoir and continuously supplied with liquid from the main reservoir by means of a wick which extends from the interior of the auxiliary reservoir downwardly into the liquid content of the main reservoir. The bottom of the auxiliary reservoir preferably is covered with an absorbent pad which is kept moist by means of the wick; and there preferably is provided an applicator designed to be stored in the auxiliary reservoir and having an absorbent surface adapted to contact the aforementioned absorbent pad and thus receive liquid therefrom in desirably small quantities. By virtue of this novel arrangement the applicator is never excessively wet but is always sufiiciently wet when withdrawn from the container, and the parts thereof which come into contact with the users fingers are never smeared with liquid.

In the drawing which accompanies this specification:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a liquid container and dispenser according to a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig.2 is a plan view taken at line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken at line 33 of Fig. l; and

Fig. l is an exploded view showing the principal parts of my new container and dispenser in perspective-the screw cap being omitted in this view.

The bottle or jar IIl constitutes the principal liquid container. It may be made of glass or other suitable material and is screw threaded. externally at the top to receive a detachable screw threaded cap I I, which latter may be of metal or any other suitable material.

A cup-shaped receptacle I2 is mounted in the top of container I9 and has a flat bottom wall I3 which is completely encircled by a vertical sidewall Id, the upper edge of which is flanged outwardly at I5 to overlie the upper edge of the container and thus form a support for receptacle IZ- which latter can be lifted out of container I0 when cap I I is detached.

The main liquid supply is contained within the chamber I6 which constitutes the principal reservoir. The liquid level therein should not be allowed to rise above the lower surface of bottom wall I3. A wick I! of any suitable fabric such as common flat wicking has middle portion lying fiat on the bottom 0f receptacle I2, interiorly thereof, and extends downwardly through two slots I8 and I9 into the main reservoir I6--the two ends of the wick terminating at or near the bottom of the main reservoir.

An absorbent pad 20 of felt or other suitable material rests on the bottom of receptacle I2, overlying and in contact with the horizontal middle portion of wick II.

Liquid from the main reservoir moves by capillary action up the two legs of wick I I and thence to the interior of receptacle I2 where it wets pad 20 and keeps the same adequately saturated. The liquid cannot continue to rise once pad 20 has reached a certain saturation point, but whenever a quantity of liquid is removed from said pad a like amount will rise via the wick and replace the removed liquid. Hence, pad 20 is at all times maintained at a desirable degree of wetness, but it never becomes excessively wet.

An applicator 2| is designed to be stored, when not in use, within receptacle I2 and comprises a rigid disc 22 having an appropriate handle 23 by which it can be lifted and manipulated. An absorbent pad 24 is attached to the bottom of disc 22 and is adapted to contact pad 20. The pad 24- absorbs liquid from pad 20 and, when kept within the container, as shown, is always maintained at an optimum degree of wetness,

While I have described and shown what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made within the scope and spirit thereof and that I do not wish to be limited except as indicated by the terms of the appended claim.

What I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

As a new article of manufacture, a main cup-shaped container comprising a circular bottom wall and a cylindrical side wall connected to, and extending upwards from, the bottom wall, having an external screw thread at its upper end and forming with the bottom wall an open top main liquid reservoir, an auxiliary cup-shaped receptacle disposed in the upper portion of the main container and comprising a fiat circular bottom wall with a pair of diametrically opposite straight chordal-like slots in its marginal portion and an imperforate cylindrical side wall connected to, and extending upwards from, the last mentioned bottom wall, forming with the latter a chamber of sufficient size to accommodate a pad variety applicator, and provided at its upper end with a flat outwardly extending integral annular flange resting on the upper edge of the side wall of the main container, an inverted U-shaped wick consisting of a horizontal intermediate part resting flatly on the bottom wall of the auxiliary receptacle and a pair of spaced apart side parts connected to, and depending from, the ends of the intermediate part, extending downwards through said slots and into the main liquid reservoir and adapted by capillary action to supply liquid from the reservoir to said intermediate part, an absorbent disc-like pad disposed in the auxiliary cup-shaped receptacle, resting directly on the intermediate part of the wick, fitting snugly in the lower end of the side wall of the receptacle, and adapted to transfer liquid from said intermediate part to the pad of the applicator, and a screw cap embodying a depending annular skirt with an internal screw thread for connection to said external screw thread and adapted when in place to clamp the flange against said upper edge of the side wall of the main container.

HELEN KESHTALO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 323,420 Hills Aug. 4, 1885 796,129 Laughton Aug. 1, 1905 2,383,960 Dupuy Sept. 4, 1945 

